In recent years, psychological interest in the cultural dimensions of parents' beliefs has been stimulated by studies of ethnic differences in developmental expectations and the identification of cultural themes in childrearing. This volume offers a multifaceted view of parents' cultural belief systems, their origins in culturally constructed parental experience, their expressions in parental practices, and their consequences for children's well-being and growth. Discussing issues with implications beyond the study of parenthood, the book shows how the analysis of child outcomes related to parents' cultural belief systems (or parental ethnotheories) can provide valuable insights into the nature and meaning of family and self in society and, in some cases, a basis for culturally sensitive therapeutic interventions.